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- [00:13]
A
This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. Wednesday, November 12th marks the start of the annual documentary film festival DOC NYC. It's hosted right around the corner from us at the IFC Center. This year's slate of documentaries contain something for everyone. There are docs about Yoko Ono. There's a doc about Vladimir Zelensky. There are docs about professional whistlers and SantaCon. There are docs about food and art and war and social justice and so much more. For the next few weeks on all of it, we'll be bringing you those conversations with documentary filmmakers whose latest movies are featured in the DOC NYC Festival. But first, joining me to give us a preview of what the next few weeks have in store is the artistic director of DOC NYC, Jay LaPlante. Hey, Jay. Welcome back to all of It.
- [01:03]
B
Thanks, Alison. Wow, you described the festival so well. I want to go.
- [01:09]
A
Tell us seriously, though, what is important about documentary filmmaking in 2025?
- [01:16]
B
I think, you know, it's a real chance for people to be seen on a lot of levels and the way that, you know, know, narrative cinema can certainly do. But there's another layer, I think, of resonance and, and identification that happens in the documentary form. And I think that's what's really beautiful about the collection of films that we're presenting this year.
- [01:40]
A
What are some of the criteria you're considering when making programming decisions about what documentaries to feature?
- [01:47]
B
Yeah, well, New York is such an international city. You know, we're trying to get the best of documentary from all over the world, but just to represent all of the different populations and, you know, it's inexhaustible in New York City. But that is one of our goals as a program team, is to really reflect the city back to itself.
- [02:09]
A
There are also short documentaries that are shown as well. Why do you think it's important to include short documentaries?
- [02:17]
B
Shorts are the. The training ground for a lot of filmmakers to try things that they can't do sometimes in a feature form because the commercial pressures or the budgets that are required to pull off a feature documentary. But in the short form, you can take, one idea can be very simple. You can build a story from, from a very small subject. And I think we see a lot of experimentation and a lot of very thrilling subjects addressed in the short form that maybe we don't see in our feature collection.
- [03:00]
C
We have seen a lot of documentaries coming out of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and there are films in this slate about both conflicts. Could you share a few examples for.
- [03:10]
B
Us yeah, so, you know, one of the, the really important films about the Ukraine conflict comes from Mr. Slav Chernov, who won the Academy Award two years ago for 20 Meters. I'm sorry, 20 Days in Maripool. His new film is called 2000 Meters to Andrew. And it's more of a boots on the ground, soldiers eye view of the. The conflict itself, but it's a microcosm for, for what that struggle is. It's extremely powerful. It's probably one of the greatest war films I've ever seen. So Mr. Slav will be with us to present that film. Zielinski, that, you know, film that you mentioned about. Zielinski is much more than a biographical film. It tells us so much about the character of the man who's been leading this conflict, sorry, the res. To the. To the Russian invasion. So this is a really fascinating glimpse into his mind, his background, his character. I think it, even though it's about him, it's really about the character of the nation and I'm very fascinated about that. In terms of Gaza, we have a film called Palestine Comedy Club, which is a little edgy considering what's going on in Gaza. You know, how can you be discussing comedy? But this is a collection of Palestinians from the west bank who are committed to preserving Palestinian culture and are doing that through the medium of stand up comedy. So it details their struggles to make their art happen. And I think it's again, very metaphorical about the larger, the larger issues in that conflict as well.
- [05:14]
A
We're getting a preview of this year's DOC NYC Film Festival with artistic director jay le plante. DOC NYC runs November 12th through the 30th. Every year there's a Metropolis competition which features films that are about New York City in some way. What did this year's collections capture about this fair city?
- [05:36]
B
Oh, my gosh. You. You hit on one of my favorite sections as well. It's a great collection. One of the films is King Hamlet, which is about the actor Oscar Isaac as he is preparing to play Hamlet in production in 2017 that took place at the Public Theater. But while he's preparing to play Hamlet in this production, his mother is very, very ill in Florida and enters hospice, while he's also expecting the birth of his first son with his partner, filmmaker Elvira Lind. So it's about the pressure of that situation for him, but it's just also about generational transitions and, and, you know, since, since Elvira is Oscar's partner, I think we see a level of intimacy in that film that no other filmmaker could have captured. We're so, so excited to present that. Another film in the Metropolis section that I'm thrilled about is called My Sunnyside. It's about a trans man and a trans woman who live together in Sunnyside. And this is about their love affair. They are raising children, busy careers, and their ongoing gender transition. And they make plans to get married. And their pastor jokes that it's the most traditional, progressive wedding you'll ever see. So this is just. It's a great, great story. Another film in Metropolis is the Nutcracker at Wethersfield, which is a story about the. The 2020 cancellation of the annual production of the Nutcracker that would have taken place at the Lincoln Center. But several of the ballet performers who couldn't perform that year undertook a very innovative way to stage the production in a safe way in the Hudson Valley. And it's just a testament to creativity of getting through dark times, which, you know, is still relevant today. So those are. Those are some of my favorites from Metropolis. But there's more.
- [08:08]
C
There are a few films about famous folks. There's one about Jeff Buckley. We spoke to the filmmaker behind that. There's also a film about photographer Kwame Braithwaite, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. What do you think makes a film about a famous person really truly interesting and not just sort of, oh, there's a famous person on my screen.
- [08:34]
B
Yeah. I mean, I think that a lot of the times, these are our creatives that we love. And the reason these films have been made is because there's something that's unsaid, you know, unknown about this. These people and the filmmakers of all the films that you mentioned really get into things that have never been put on screen about these individuals and allow us into their lives, show us a perspective about them. It helps us make a. Helps us understand how they created their art, who they were, who they are or were, and what made them very special and relatable to so many people. So I think. I think that's. That's why. I mean, another one that I'd love to mention is about Farrakito, who is one of the great flamenco performers in the world. He got his start, actually, at the age of six in a flamenco production with his family on Broadway. So New York City is a very big part of his story. And he's coming back to present this film, which is about not just him and his art, but the entire dynasty of his family. His grandfather, his mother. And now he has his own son that is following his father's footsteps. So there's so much I learned from that story. It's operatic in terms of how the events of his life played into the passion of his, of his art, his dance. And that's something I had no idea about just from reading about him in the New York Times or watching his performances on YouTube. I've never had a chance to see him live, unfortunately. But yeah, I think that's why we love celebrity docs.
- [10:35]
A
Jay, the opening night film is Whistle about competitive music whistlers. Why did you feel like this would be your opening film for DOC nyc?
- [10:50]
B
Well, Allison, how are your whistlings?
- [10:52]
A
Not good.
- [10:53]
B
Yeah, mine are non existent, but I, I fell in love with this film. It's really joins the true classics of competition documentaries. Films like Spellbound come to mind. But I think why I selected it as opening night this year is that it's a truly unforgettable cast of characters. It includes recording artist Molly Lewis, New York City performer Lauren Elder, New Jersey music instructor Jay Winston. But it's less about the competition than about how all of these artists are mutually supporting and caring for each other. In the course of the competition, I had no idea how much skill went into whistling at all for this film. And I had no idea how much drama and comedy will unfold backstage at one of these whistling festivals. So it's, it's just, it's a film that sent my heart soaring. I so much wanted to lead off the festival that way. We're all in a place where that's, that's something, you know, we, we all want.
- [12:02]
C
Your closing night film is Ask E. Jean, a documentary about Eugene Carroll's decision to come forward with her accusation of sexual assault against President Donald Trump. First of all, will Eugene be there?
- [12:17]
B
Can't say.
- [12:18]
C
Can't say.
- [12:19]
B
Sure. Yeah. Not sure. I'm hoping that something might happen. But as of now, we are just scheduled to have a Q and A with director Ivy Miracle. And this, yeah, it's, this is a, an important New York story. I think, you know, the events of, of the case unfolded in New York quite famously and Eugene is herself a great New York character. And I think this film salutes her bravery and her conviction. And I'm really proud that we're closing the festival with it.
- [13:01]
A
We're getting a preview of this year's DOC NYC Film Festival with Artistic Director Jay LaPlante. DOC NYC runs November 12th through the 30th. There's a great part of the festivals are these Q&As that happen after screenings with the Filmmakers and their subjects. Why do you think that's such a valuable part of the programming?
- [13:23]
B
I think that it really deepens your experience of the film. When you hear an artist talk about how a film was put together, maybe why they need it, why they wanted to, to tell the story, it can really deepen that experience of what you've just seen, and it'll stay with you longer. And I think, you know that that ability to connect with an artist after seeing their work is something that's really unique to festivals. So it's an integral part of it. We have almost every single film has got an artist that's coming to present that film personally. And we have many, many great Q and A days ahead of us in the next 10 days or so.
- [14:17]
C
If people can't make it to the theater for the festival, how can they watch the films at home?
- [14:23]
B
Well, most of the lineup is available online until November 30th, the day after its premiere at DOC NYC. It will be available on our online portal, so you can purchase tickets there, and it's a great way to catch up on anything that you may have missed. I myself, when I'm planning to Moderate Q&As, I often want to be in three different venues at the exact same time. Honestly, all these films are just so wonderful, but I can't. So if you have that same experience of trying to decide between two films that are playing at the same time on the same day at different venues, then you know you have that online option to. To back you up for the one that you can't make.
- [15:13]
C
Any other films you'd like to give a shout out to before we wrap?
- [15:16]
B
Oh, yeah, there's another film that I just considered to you can't miss, and it's the winner of this year's Cannes Film Festival award for best documentary. It's called Imago. Many of us experience growing up with family pressures and expectations, but the layers that the filmmaker Danny Pitzva goes through with his Chechen Muslim family in this story are next level. Next level. And Imago is a film about testing your boundaries with family and your community at large, feeling your way through the ways that you can break away to forge your own path, but doing it with love. It's a tremendously moving journey, and I highly recommend it.
- [16:01]
A
DOC NYC runs November 12th through the 30th. I've been speaking with its artistic director, Jay LaPlante. Jay, have a fantastic festival.
- [16:11]
B
Thank you so much, Allison. It was really great to be here talking with you.
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D
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- [16:46]
E
The who's down and who Newville were making their list, but some didn't know Walmart has the best brands for their gifts.
- [16:53]
B
What about toys?
- [16:54]
A
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- [16:57]
D
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- [17:00]
A
Do you mean they have all the brands I adore?
- [17:02]
D
They have Nintendo, Nespresso, Apple and more.
- [17:06]
E
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